The Miracle Worker: Project Ideas

1. Research Helen Keller. Write a biographical sketch of this truly remarkable woman. Include her achievements and triumphs.
   
   
2. Write an additional scene for the play. What happens after Helen begins to understand words? Create a scene that shows how Annie continues to teach Helen. With the help of classmates, act out and dramatize your scene.
   
   
3. Toward the end of the play, Annie says to Kate, "We're born to use words..." With your group, discuss the importance of language. Brainstorm how different life would be without language. Appoint a recorder for your group to write down your ideas, and then discuss your ideas with the members of another group.
   
   
4. Research Annie Sullivan and present an oral report about her to your class. Include her background, her education, and her accomplishments.
   
   
5. Before Annie came to the Keller house, Helen was wild and undisciplined. Her parents seemed unable to control her. Organize a panel to discuss this question: How important is parental discipline and guidance to children? Support your opinions with examples from the play as well as from your own experiences.
   
   
6. Louis Braille created a method by which blind people can read. Research the Braille method. How does it work? Obtain a book or magazine written in Braille and see if you can read it through touch.

Curriculum Connections

1. Research the cause of Helen Keller's blindness and deafness. Could her disabilities have been prevented using modern treatments and drugs? (Science)
   
   
2. Annie suffered from trachoma. Research this affliction. What causes it? How can it be treated? (Science)
   
   
3. Many researchers are concerned that listening to loud music too often might cause hearing loss or eventual deafness. Research this question and present your findings orally to your class or group. (Science)

Excerpted from English Teacher's Great Books Activities Kit.